praise
anatomy of a boyfriend
New York Public Library selected Anatomy of a Boyfriend for its "Books for the Teen Age, 2008" list.
Target selected Anatomy of a Boyfriend as a "Bookmarked Breakout Book."
Barnes & Noble selected Anatomy of a Boyfriend as a Teens "Pick of the Week." (Jan 14 — Jan 20, 2007)
Dominique, a high-school senior in Fort Myers, Florida, is an aspiring doctor whose favorite book is Gray’s Anatomy . . . Written in Dom’s authentic voice, Snadowsky’s debut novel is an unusually honest portrayal of a teen girl’s sexual discovery . . . What feels so new here is the unsensationalized explicitness . . . Like Forever, this sensitive, candid novel is sure to find a wide audience among curious teens. —Booklist
Snadowsky confidently marches where few YA writers have dared to tread . . . her witty, first-person narrative and humorous accounts of all-too-familiar situations come off as genuine. —Publishers Weekly
[An] honest look[] at how to navigate complicated and confusing times . . . Snadowsky does a good job of rendering all these emotions while keeping the plot chugging along . . . it posits thoughtful questions about what happens after you've achieved that teenage dream, the acquisition of a boyfriend, and the dream loses its luster. —San Francisco Chronicle
Snadowsky dissects the stupidity, compulsion and sweetness that fuel teenage relationships with startling candor . . . One of the novel's great strengths is its unabashed examination of a young girl's sexuality . . . Anatomy of a Boyfriend shines because Dom, despite her romantic obsession, is in control of her body, and along the way asserts control over her life and her happiness. —Austin American-Statesman
Snadowsky's narrative easily holds the reader's interest with well-drawn, realistic characters, flowing prose, dialogue and emails. —Kirkus
Appropriately, this book is dedicated to Judy Blume, and it may be the kind of groundbreaking novel that Forever was when first published a generation ago . . . Just like in Judy Blume's Forever, the emotional experiences of first love are described as poignantly and as graphically as are the physical experiences . . . Snadowsky writes with real compassion for her teenage characters . . . She wants to convey useful information as much as she wants to entertain with a moving story of romance. —KLIATT
Snadowsky is as committed to detailing the obsessive emotional character of first love and the excruciating pain of first heartbreak as she is its hormonal expression. —The Bulletin
Snadowsky's first novel is a frank and unashamed look at teenage sexuality and all-consuming first love . . . Much of the awkwardness of a first sexual experience is very realistically described. —VOYA
This novel . . . deal[s] in modern terms with the real issues of discovering sex for the first time and dealing with it in a responsible way. —School Library Journal
Contemporary teens will enjoy . . . the well-realized, engaging character of Dominique. —Children’s Literature
[F]eelings are intense and emotions heightened, but the love is real. —Romantic Times
Five out of Five stars . . . Daria Snadowsky does such an amazing job of portraying Dom, that I felt like her best friend that she confided everything to. —YABooksCentral
Snadowsky's writing is sharp, and Dominique's voice is clever, funny and extremely authentic. —Teenreads
Dom’s great charm is that she’s . . . book-smart — future pre-med even! — but woefully inexperienced . . . Dom’s fascination with biology and obsessive study of anatomy give her explorations an extra-educational kick . . . Snadowsky capably follows Blume’s guiding concept that in literature for young people, the presence of sexual knowledge is far less dangerous than its absence. —Wichita City Paper
Five out of Five stars. The reader takes an adventure with Dom as she discovers many new adult experiences, and feels what it's like to truly love for the first time . . . with all of the candidness, the book stands out from other young adult novels that glaze over the reality of high school relationships without really exploring them. Anatomy of a Boyfriend is an honest gem that will provide readers with a sincere and at times painful portrayal of adolescent life. —TeensReadToo
Five out of Five stars . . . Many reviews of this book have compared this author to Judy Blume, and I couldn't agree more. Although Daria Snadowsky has her own distinct voice, Anatomy of a Boyfriend can definitely be considered a Forever for the noughties. It even has the same sort of unflinchingly graphic scenes, of the kind you pass around the classroom at school . . . All the characters in this novel are likeable and lifelike. It's very easy to care about Dom and get swept up in her feelings at every turn, and it's very difficult to put this book down. —Chicklish. . . . honest and detailed portrayal of teenage love and lust (think Forever) . . . . —Horn Book Guide Reviews
If you've ever been completely, wonderfully consumed by love, then the joys--and sorrows--of Dom's story will be familiar to you. This homage to Judy Blume's Forever is a brave, contemporary, and honest story of first love. —Next Reads
[W]hat’s different about Boyfriend is the way it explores the subject with a disarming frankness that never comes off as sensational. (A) —INsite Magazine Atlanta
In this hilarious and heartfelt first novel, the author delves into the adventures and misadventures of first love. —BWI What's New in Hardcover Top Picks
Snadowsky's debut novel very honestly addresses these issues — a teen's first love, first attempt at a real, honest, and mature relationship, and sex . . . Fortunately, Snadowsky writes about this sexual journey in a candid, no-holds-barred manner . . . All done respectfully so and with Snadowsky's great respect for her characters and the characters' respect for each other . . . Snadowsky tackles these subjects boldly, confidently. Yes, unflinchingly. (Is there any other way to do it? . . . I'd cringe to see writers handle it any other way) . . . And the character are well-drawn . . . The dialogue rolls right along crisply and believably . . . Any high school or public library would do well to purchase this title. It will get talked about and enthusiastically passed around (and both males and females would enjoy the read[).] —Seven Impossibleselected blog reviews can be accessed via my livejournal tag, anatomy reviews (blogs/web).